FIG 2.

Shift in the perspective of mucosa-associated microbial communities from the culture era to the sequencing era in healthy and CRS states. (A) Previous culture-based assessments of sinonasal-associated microbiology in healthy subjects led to the view of the sinuses as being a predominantly sterile site and identified a relatively simple bacterial community associated with the nasal cavity. (B) Early culture-based assessment of CRS patients highlighted the possible role of putative bacterial and fungal pathogens in the development or progressive course of CRS. (C and D) Sequencing-era assessment of the microbiota subsequently identified markedly more diverse microbial communities associated with both healthy (C) and CRS (D) states, with little consensus emerging on unique associations with CRS.